Once Rejected, Now Wanted
Oyinkan Ogunlabi · Ongoing · 30.0k Words
Introduction
However, a glimmer of light and hope emerges as Teresa meets her Nanny, Amelia, who becomes a catalyst for positive change. Transforming her identity, she emerges as Charlotte Knowles. She rebuilds her life, taking back her family's legacy. In a surprising twist of fate, she finds herself reunited with those who once spurned her—her ex-husband and former mother-in-law. The question arises: Can love transcend betrayal?
Join Charlotte's journey from the depths of despair to the heights of triumph in this enthralling tale of second chances and the transformative power of forgiveness.
Chapter 1
“Anderson.” I smiled and told the host my last name.
“Let me see… Oh, here it is.” The poor girl’s eyes grew wide as saucers. “I’m so
sorry, miss. I just started here. I didn’t realize you are one of our regulars.”
I smiled hoping to ease her tension. “It’s no problem. It’s a nice place, isn’t it.”
“Oh yes. Very lovely atmosphere. Can I just say, you look stunning, miss.”
I instinctively felt straightened my back and stuck my chest out. “Why, thank you.” My
smile made my mouth ache. “Just a little something for my special man.”
“He must be very special because damn… I’m so sorry.” I burst into laughter at the
startled look on her face. “Your table is over –”
“Oh, don’t worry. I know my way around here. Table 16, right?”
“Oh, right. Regular. Yes, it’s table 16. Have a wonderful evening miss.”
What a lovely girl.
Like little drizzles of rain, I could feel the eyes on me as I walked into the room. The moment
I saw Auden’s eyes linger on this white Valentino dress, I knew I had to wear it for our third
anniversary. A little revealing for my liking but if the compliments I’d been receiving all day
said anything, I made the right choice.
As soon as I sat down, Pedro, my regular waiter, walked up to me with a greeting.
“Mrs. Anderson. Looking gorgeous as always.” He said, handing me the menu.
“Although something’s different this time. You have a certain glow about you.”
“Am I that obvious?” My excitement was building by the minute. I couldn’t wait for
what Auden had in store for me. “Well, it is a special day.”
“A special day calls for a special meal then. And where is Mr. Anderson then?” He
looked over at the empty seat across from me. I felt a little prick in my chest. He should have
been there with me. He should have been there to open my door and held my hand as I
walked up the stairs. But I understood. Business was important.
“He’ll be here soon. I’ll wait for my husband before I order, thank you.”
“Have a good evening, Mrs. Anderson.” He walked off.
I reached into my black clutch and took out my phone. No reply. I figured I might as
well send him another text. Maybe I had his head stuck in a document. I didn’t want to drop
my phone because I had nothing else to do. Ironically, I had nothing to do on my phone too.
No friends to text, no sister to vent to about how I feared Auden would stand me up… again.
I felt like the eyes I had on me were judging me. A beautifully dressed woman walks into a
fancy restaurant alone. They probably thought I was a mistress having a clandestine
meeting with her paramour. He couldn’t even make an exception on our anniversary. At least
I didn’t have to spend the day at home with Grace and her boy-toy.
My throat felt dry. I raised my hand to get Pedro’s attention and he came sauntering
over with his typical elegant gait.
“Did you change your mind, Mrs. Anderson?”
“I’ve told you you can call me Teresa when he’s not here. No. No, I didn’t. I would like
some water though.”
“Of course. Right away.”
“Can I tell you something, Pedro?” He whirled around to face me as if he were on roller
skates. “Today is our third anniversary. I… I wanted it to be special. I want it to be special.”
My bottom lip quivered so much that I had to bite it.
“Well, congratulations, Mrs. Anderson. I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” He nodded reassuringly.
As much as I appreciated his words, I hated that he pitied me. I hated that I had to be pitied.
Heck, I pitied myself. Where the hell was–
There was a loud crash as the glass window shattered. And then the yelling came. Everyone’s
eyes were drawn to the building across the street. A couple of men were standing outside,
yelling at the people within.
“What–”
“Squatters,” Pedro said. “Those men own the building and they can’t get the squatter out.”
“Oh, that’s horrible. Can’t they call the cops?”
“The cops can’t do anything. Squatters rights. I’ll go and get that water for you now Mrs.
Anderson.”
“Thank you, Pedro.”
He went off to get me my water. If only he could find Auden and get me over here too. The
yelling across the street had died down but the people remained. What a horrible situation to
be in. For both parties.
I checked my phone again. No reply. Of course not.
Pedro came back with a tray, my water, and a bottle of wine. It looked expensive. Very.]
expensive.
“Um… did I order that?”
He poured me a glass of water and proceeded to pop open the wine. “It’s on the
house. Happy anniversary, Teresa.” He flipped over my wine glass and started to fill it.
“Oh no. You can just leave it. I’ll have some when he’s here. Thank you so much.”
“Oh, come on. It’s top shelf. One of our best. You can sip on this while you wait.”
Auden hated it when I had wine… or any alcohol to be honest. Not that I ever got
overly drunk. But being lonely even when you’re not alone would make anyone have a few
glasses now and then.
Pedro must have seen the look in my eyes. “Tell you what. I’ll pour some in your glass, you
can inhale it, and if you like that, maybe have a little sip.” He said as he poured a little into
the glass before leaving.
I eyed the glass for a few moments. Auden wasn’t here yet to nag me about drinking. Grace
wasn’t here at all. He was late anyway so if he couldn’t say anything. I watched my hand
reach for the glass and bring it to my nose. Heavens, it smelled divine. I swirled it in the
glass contemplating drinking it.
“Oh well.” I brought it to my lips and raised the stem. The rich, velvety liquid poured into my
mouth, lighting up my taste buds. Lord, it was delicious. I took another sip and another,
relishing the exotic savouriness.
But I knew not to drink too much. Auden wouldn’t like that. It was our special day and
I didn’t want to ruin it.
My eyes flitted about the room, watching all the couples lost in conversation, smiling
at each other. The knowing glances and surreptitious touches. My heart ached for such an
experience. I couldn’t remember the last time he squeezed my butt as he introduced me to
his business partners. Or gave me that look. Or sent me a text telling me what to wear
before he got home. I’d lost all that long ago.
One more glass wouldn’t hurt. Fuck, I loved the wine. I had to ask Pedro where I
could get it. I was still filling my mouth when Pedro came over, startling me.
“Fuck.” I knew I shouldn’t have been drinking.
“Oh no. I’m so sorry Mrs. Anderson. I shouldn’t have–”
“What’s going on here?”
My heart skipped a beat when I heard his voice. My head shot up, wide-eyed, to
meet his raised eyebrows. Of course, he chose the worst possible moment to turn up.
Pedro kept dabbing at the stain so much that I had to drag the towel out of his hand. It
was a huge stain. Fuck.
“Of course,” he said, taking a seat.
“I just had a little.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“It’s all my fault, Mr. Anderson. I should have waited for her to drop the glass,” Pedro
said.
Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I dabbed furiously at the stain. All eyes
were back on me. Stop pitying me!
“You really think you should be drinking so early?”
“It’s almost six pm. And you’re late.”
“That’s your excuse.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I said as I shifted my chair back.
He tossed a folder on the table, making me pause. Despite my asking repeatedly,
he'd never let me fulfil any role in his business. Could this be my anniversary gift? Hope
fluttered in my chest as I reached for the folder. All worries of being judged and pitied
evaporated like water on a sizzling grill. I glanced up at him and smiled. He smiled back.
Excited, I opened the folder and looked it over. My heart pounded in my chest, my
vision blurred, I couldn't breathe. My blood chilled in my veins. I looked up at him. His pearly
whites shined back at me.
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Let Them Kneel
Cast out by her pack. Forgotten by the Lycans.
She lived among humans—quiet, invisible, tucked away in a town no one looked at twice.
But when her first heat comes without warning, everything changes.
Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.
When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.
For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.
Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.
But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.
And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.
Especially him.
She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.
Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.
Accardi
“I thought you said you were done chasing me?” Gen mocked.
“I am done chasing you.”
Before she could formulate a witty remark, Matteo threw her down. She landed hard on her back atop his dining room table. She tried to sit up when she noticed what he was doing. His hands were working on his belt. It came free of his pants with a violent yank. She collapsed back on her elbows, her mouth gaping open at the display. His face was a mask of sheer determination, his eyes were a dark gold swimming with heat and desire. His hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the table. He glided his fingers up her thighs and hooked several around the inside of her panties. His knuckles brushed her dripping sex.
“You’re soaking wet, Genevieve. Tell me, was it me that made you this way or him?” his voice told her to be careful with her answer. His knuckles slid down through her folds and she threw her head back as she moaned. “Weakness?”
“You…” she breathed.
Genevieve loses a bet she can’t afford to pay. In a compromise, she agrees to convince any man her opponent chooses to go home with her that night. What she doesn’t realize when her sister’s friend points out the brooding man sitting alone at the bar, is that man won’t be okay with just one night with her. No, Matteo Accardi, Don of one of the largest gangs in New York City doesn’t do one night stands. Not with her anyway.
HER ALPHA, HER SAVIOUR
Kane Hellboud, charm and wealth personified, wanted only me in exchange for her treatment. No cameras, isolation, or noose-like rules were part of the deal. Behind his smile? Cold, violent possessiveness that destroyed our fake marriage.
Most of all, I didn’t know the supernatural walked among us, hiding in the cracks of ordinary life. Not until Abel Stone stepped into mine—dark-eyed, sharp-tongued, and oozing dangerous promises. He’s my new boss. He shouldn’t make my skin tingle or my pulse race. I shouldn’t feel this primal pull, this illogical recognition that tugs at something deep in my bones.
Around him, lights burst, electronics fry, and something ancient in me awakens.
Kane feels it. His grip tightens, punishments turn brutal, and he hides the truth of what I am.
Trapped between two powerful men, I’m no prey, no pawn—no helpless victim.
Prisons burn. Monsters bleed. As for me? I'm the storm in skin—deadly beyond suspicion.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Lightborn: The Demon’s Bond
The Hunter and The Hunted
Mihai’s hand slowly slides up my stomach, his fingers wrapping around my neck as he cuts of my ability to breathe, black spots clouding my vision, and yet, I am not afraid. I want more. I want everything that he can give to me.
He slowly inserts a third finger, the intense fullness that I feel teetering me over the edge of a cliff I cannot even see, and then he sucks and pulls at my clit. Sparks erupt throughout my body, the orgasm shaking my soul, and destroying what was left of my resistance.
She was the Daughter of a Hunter, he was one of the creatures that her family had sworn to destroy, what could possibly go wrong?
When their worlds collide, who will be left standing, will it be the hunter or the hunted, and which is which?
BROKEN TRUST
Neither of them knew she was carrying his child.
Emily’s affair didn’t just end her marriage—it erased the life she thought was guaranteed. Ryan left without looking back, carrying his anger like armor and leaving Emily alone with regret she would never outrun. Three years later, fate drags them back into each other’s world, along with a little girl who has Ryan’s eyes and a truth that shatters everything he thought he knew.
Old wounds reopen, grief masquerades as rage, and love refuses to stay buried. As parenthood binds them together and the past demands accountability, Emily and Ryan must face the question neither of them is ready to answer: is broken trust the end of their story… or the beginning of a love forged through loss, forgiveness, and brutal honesty?
Mates: Regrets and Redemption
With my heart in pieces, I sought solace in the last place I expected—my Alpha's arms. One night turned into a dangerous entanglement, and now my Alpha refuses to let me go. As the Alpha’s obsession grows, I'm caught in a web of desire and fear.
Curtis, the boy I once loved, still holds a promise I made, but the Alpha’s powerful presence pulls me deeper into his world. Should I forgive Curtis and keep my word, or should I risk everything for a chance at something wild and unpredictable with the Alpha who won’t take no for an answer?
“There are no limits between us,” he chuckled, the mirth sparkling in his gorgeous eyes. “And all of this stems from the night you gave me both pain and pleasure. I’m simply returning the favor.”
He took two steps forward, and I stepped back. “But…” The memory of what I had done filled me with fear, and I knew I had to get out of there. “I…”
“No, Firecat.” He placed an index finger on my lips. “This will take your mind off that son of a bitch.” His strong hands pulled me by the waist until I felt his hard manhood.
Avery and the Cursed Alpha
Then a mysterious billionaire offers her a deal that sounds too good to be true.
Alexander Ravenswood is powerful, wealthy, and feared throughout Tenebrous City. Behind his perfect public image lies a deadly secret. He is the Alpha of the Nocturne Pack, cursed by an ancient bloodline that is slowly driving him toward madness and death. His only hope lies in finding the legendary Aethon Orb—or the prophesied mate destined to save him.
When Alex discovers that Avery can draw symbols connected to the long-lost artifact, he offers her a contract she cannot refuse: become his fake fiancée for six months in exchange for enough money to erase her debts and save her home.
What begins as a business arrangement quickly becomes something far more dangerous.
As they search for the missing Orb, Avery is drawn into a hidden world of werewolves, ancient prophecies, and deadly pack rivalries. Powerful enemies want Alex's throne. A jealous Alpha heiress wants Avery gone. And a ruthless rival Alpha will stop at nothing to claim the Orb for himself.
But the greatest secret of all may be Avery herself.
Because the closer she gets to Alex, the more impossible truths begin to surface about her past, her strange abilities, and the destiny that has been waiting for her all along.
With a curse threatening Alex's life, enemies closing in from every side, and a forbidden bond growing stronger by the day, Avery must decide whether to walk away from the dangerous Alpha who needs her—or risk everything for a love written by fate itself.
In a city where secrets kill and destiny cannot be escaped, can a fake engagement become a love powerful enough to change the future?
